How to build a $20 million home

Playoust-Churcher-Hot-to-build-a-20-million-dollar-home

We are very proud to announce our involvement in a recent ground-breaking sale that has shattered the $20 million house price barrier on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, with the remarkable achievement of Warrawee, which recently sold for approximately $20 million.

With significant local buzz about this exciting sale, we wanted to share some insight into what goes into building a $20 million home.

Playoust Churcher - A 20 million dollar family home

A local slice of heaven

Originally built in 1963, the residence sits on an impressive 1,975 square metres of land, which our clients acquired in 2011 for $2.1 million. The following year, they commissioned us to carry out a significant redesign of the property.

This expanded the initial brief to include the adjacent home, which the client had purchased during the project. We now had a tennis court and cabana added to the brief that we needed to work into the initial concept while subdividing the front portion of the block for another home.

Our objective was to enhance the original structure, taking inspiration from ‘resort-style’ living while maintaining levels of both light and privacy in the various spaces on the property.

Playoust Churcher - 20 million dollar home design process

The design process

We spent a lot of time with the clients throughout the architecture design process, discussing their vision and developing a strong design concept that suited the needs of this growing family and their lifestyle – which would of course change over time.

We chose a stone base to anchor the building, paired with a middle level of brick and render, as well as extensive glazing to keep everything open and flowing. The pavilion area and the interconnecting spaces created a very ‘human scale’ to the large residence, which became one of our favourite aspects of the design.

When working on larger properties, it can be tough to optimise areas that flow and connect well with each other, and the pavilion style allowed us to create a lovely indoor/outdoor flow while taking advantage of all the views. It certainly added to the overall feeling of a great entertainers’ home.

Playoust Churcher - 20 million dollar home challenges

The challenges

With a home renovation project of this size and scope, there will always be challenges that require flexibility and problem-solving.

Our goals included maximising south-facing views over the park and opening up enough to get light into the spaces, which proved particularly challenging. To solve these issues, the design resulted in a pavilion-style design with an added skylight slot-style roof between the old and new parts of the home to really bring the outdoor light in.

Another important consideration was to preserve the views from the first-floor bedrooms that overlooked the pavilion. It was crucial to maintain these picturesque views while also ensuring we kept those beautiful levels of natural light.

Balancing these requirements was a key aspect of the design process to ensure the continuity of the initial vision while accommodating the additions and maintaining optimal light conditions.

A $20 million family home

We are proud to have worked on such an extraordinary property that has achieved this record-breaking sale price in the luxury real estate market.

It was a brief that allowed us to continue redefining the concept of capturing the full potential of a home, to align inspiration and luxury with everyday functionality.

And while it wasn’t without challenges, it’s a project with a stunning end result.

Is it time to bring your dream home to life?

We specialise in creating exceptional residential designs on the North Shore. With a passion for creating timeless and elegant homes, our team of skilled professionals collaborates closely with our clients to bring their visions to life.

From concept to completion, we deliver exceptional designs that seamlessly blend aesthetics, functionality and sustainability. Contact us today to start exploring the possibilities for your new home.